3D巧克力打印机甜蜜创意：想吃巧克力？打印一份！

A chocolate printer that allows sweet lovers to create their own custom-made 3D treats is to go on sale tomorrow at a cost of £2,500.

一款巧克力打印机将于明天上市，只要支付2500英镑，甜蜜恋人们可以为爱人打造自己的3D效果巧克力甜品了。

The machine squirts out chocolate and, via computer instructions, allows the user to build any shape they like out of the food. But makers Choc Edge - founded by Dr Liang Hao, from the University of Exeter - have missed the Easter rush.

这款机器可以喷出巧克力，用户通过电脑下达指令把巧克力做成自己喜欢的任何形状。巧克力打印机由埃克塞特大学郝亮博士创建的Choc Edge公司生产，不过它的上市错过了复活节购物狂潮。

Although they hope the printer, which will go on sale on eBay, will be snapped up by retailers. Britain's biggest chocolatiers Thornton's have already said they are interested.

不过尽管如何，设计者们还是希望这种新产品能被零售商抢购一空，这款3D巧克力打印机将在eBay上推出。英国最大的巧克力制造商桑顿公司已明确表示对这款打印机感兴趣。

Because of the eye-watering cost, however, few individuals are likely to buy one. But the device could one day allow people to design their own 3D objects after submitting their designs on a website.

因为价格昂贵，个人购买巧克力打印机的可能性很小。但是在将来设计者可以通过在网上提交设计方案的方式会设计出自己的3D造型成品。

Dr Hao came up with a prototype last year and has only just perfected it so that it can now go on sale.'We've improved and simplified the machine, so now it is really easy to use,' he told the BBC. 'You just need to melt some chocolate, fill a syringe that is stored in the printer, and get creative printing your chocolate. '

郝博士去年研制出一台原型，但直到现在才为上市做好了充分的准备。 “我们对机器进行了改进和简化，现在它简单易用，”他在接受BBC采访时说。“你要做的就是溶化一些巧克力，然后将其装入打印机中的注射器，当然还需要你的创意，一帧巧克力作品就可以出炉了。”

3D printing is a technology where a three dimensional object is created by building up successive layers of material.The technology is already used in industry to produce plastic and metal products, but this is the first time the principles have been applied to chocolate.The research has presented many challenges. Chocolate is not an easy material to work with because it requires accurate heating and cooling cycles.

3D打印是一种通过建立连续物体层来产生三维体的技术。这种技术已被应用于工业中生产塑料和金属制品，推广到巧克力加工却是首次。研制过程不乏挑战。巧克力不易加工，它需要精准的加热和冷却循环。

Dr Hao said: ‘What makes this technology special is that users will be able to design and make their own products. From reproducing the shape of a child’s favourite toy to a friend’s face, the possibilities are endless. It could be developed to help consumers custom-design many products from different materials, but we’ve started with chocolate as it is readily available, low cost and non-hazardous.

郝博士说：“这种技术的独到之处在于，用户可以自行设计、制造产品。它可以仿制出孩子喜爱的玩具模样，还可以让巧克力看起来像你朋友的脸，可谓是创意无限。利用这款机器，用户还可以使用不同的原材料设计出不同的产品。我们以巧克力为研究的开端，因为它容易获得、成本低、无害。”

‘There is also no wastage as any spoilage can be eaten.’ Dr Hao added: ‘Eventually we may see many mass-produced products replaced by unique designs created by the customer.’

“既使做坏了，也照样能吃不会浪费。”郝博士补充说：“最后，我们可能会看到用户的独特设计取代大批量生产的产品。”

EPSRC chief executive Professor Dave Delpy said: 'This is an imaginative application of two developing technologies and a good example of how creative research can be applied to create new manufacturing and retail ideas. By combining developments in engineering with the commercial potential of the digital economy we can see a glimpse into the future of new markets - creating new jobs and, in this case, sweet business opportunities.'

英国工程和自然科学研究委员会的首席执行官戴夫·德尔菲教授说：“这是对两种发展中的技术富于想像力的应用，也是如何将创造性研究用于开发新制造业和创新零售观念的好范例。通过综合利用与数字经济的商业潜力相适应的设计创新，我们看到了新的市场前景：产生新工作岗位，在巧克力打印机这个案例中我们称之为甜蜜商机。”